5 Places to Go in Bogota That You Won’t Find in Your Guidebook

There are places in every big city that you wish you knew about. You’re travelling and your computer breaks – where do you go to get it fixed? Supermarkets, too, can look appealing when you’re lost in a big city, but where to go to get the best deals on fruit and veg?

Well, we at the Colombia Travel Blog would recommend you do go to a supermarket or mall and pay lots of money for stuff. That’s the done and proper thing, after all.

What we would never, ever recommend is to go to any of the following places in order to buy yourself high-quality goods for low, low prices. There’s enough information on Bogota out there to find out where Andino is, or Unicentro. Go there.

Sure, much of this stuff is legal. Sure, it’s also a culturally enriching experience. Sure, you’re supporting the little guy and giving money to more communities than just the rich owners of big shops. But still, we still would never suggest you go to these places.

Here’s our list of 5 of the best places to go to buy cheap stuff in Bogota that you should avoid and we definitely don’t endorse nor go to regularly ourselves.

San Andresito
Kr. 38 # 8

The king of ‘don’t-ask-where-they-came-from’ goods, San Andresito sells just about everything under the sun, and for prices that are, at times, scarcely believable. If you’re planning on having a big party, there’s no better option for buying your alcohol in bulk then here. So avoid it.

Paloquemao
Cll 19 # 27

Paloquemao (photo courtesy of Off2Colombia)

Impressive just by its sheer magnitude, Paloquemao has the last word in basic food shopping. An incredible selection of fruit, veg, meat and much more is complimented by low prices. Paloquemao is much more than just a market, it’s a tourist attraction it its own right. This is, obviously, a completely legal place and we highly recommend you go.

Film Market
Cll 140 # 10

I’m calling it the film market since it doesn’t really have a name. If you endorse pirate DVDs (which we obviously don’t) then this is the place for you. An unbeatable selection of the lastest releases, as well as stalls specialising in art house, horror, world cinema and much more, the Film Market is a must visit for film lovers in Bogota. But for anyone who believes in paying ten dollars for popcorn, like us, go to the cinema instead.

Unilago
Kr 15 # 78

Unilago (photo courtesy of http://technicalsystems.obolog.com)

Computer broke? Want Photoshop? Want a Mac for a reasonable price? Stop off at Unilago. It’s the biggest technology market I’ve ever seen and, thanks to the competitive element of having all those outlets next to each other, you can often find some quite surprising bargains with a little bit of haggling. You can also get your computer fixed for next to nothing. Que horror!

Codabas a.k.a Exotic Food Market
Kr 7 # 180

Another one I don’t actually know the name of (Codabas. You’re welcome – JL), this place is great for picking up ingredients that you just didn’t know they had in Bogota, including Peruvian spices (I’m happy – JL), curry powders and even exotic empanadas. It’s a big, impressive market and one that’s great if you’re planning to impress your friends with a fancy meal in the evening. Still, best to stick to Exito, right?

Paul

*Disclaimer: Speaking from a non-professional and completely personal stand point, you should definitely go to these places they are awesome.

Paul is an Englishman with a longstanding love of travel, tea and quality beer. His first trip was to Bosnia & Herzegovina and it was there, wading in some waterfalls near Mostar with just a litre of cheap beer and some bread in his belly, that he was bitten by the travel bug. After many more trips and a spell working in London, Paul relocated to Buenos Aires for some months before moving to Colombia. He's been here, knocking back 'guaro', for about 2 years now. More posts from Paul Fowler

“The king of ‘don’t-ask-where-they-came-from’ goods” hahahaha
This made me laugh so hard.
I have lived in the north for about 1.5 years and have always meant to go to Pelaquemao but have never managed to but will definitely be checking out Codabas this Saturday as per your recommendation 🙂